OBJECTIVES : In psychiatry, where definitive and clear diagnosis has been and still a major problem and where polypharmacy is common, off-label prescribing is particularly common. This study also informs the extent to which family physicians and non-psychiatrists are prescribing psychotropic medications.

METHODS : We used data from the 2014 IMS Health Turkey Medical Index (TMI). The TMI is a nationally representative survey of an office-based panel of physicians to examine the diagnoses for which medications are being recommended. The survey in TMI data base is conducted each quarter in a sample of 705 medical doctors, which is projected to a universe of 62 562 physicians.

RESULTS : Although there are limitations of the study, it is the first time an analysis conducted to understand the usage of psychotropic medications from a survey data in Turkey. Approximately 25 million drug have been prescribed in 2014 in which antidepressants were the most commonly prescribed of the four drug classes examined. It was followed by antipsychotics and anxiolytics with 6 million and 2.8 million respectively. The antidepressant medications identified in this sample accounted for approximately 2.9% of all estimated prescription drug use in 2014 and antidepressants were ranked seventh in the most prescribed groups of medication in Turkey.

CONCLUSIONS : In order to improve quality and safety of health care services provided to patients and to ensure rational use of health care resources, it is essential to know the reasons why psychotropic medications are prescribed to patients.